The suspended IPS officer is also facing charges of custodial torture in a 1998 case registered in Porbander district. The new complaint has been filed after directions from the Chief Judicial Magistrate M D Kundaliya here yesterday, following a petition by a victim Vijaysinh Bhatti. The court had directed the police on Saturday to file a complaint for wrongful restraint, causing hurt with dangerous weapon and intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace. Deputy SP N M Gohil has been asked to probe the case.
According to the case details, in November 1990, Bhatti, who was 40-years old then, was taken to a police station, after he had come out of his house during a curfew. As per Bhatti`s complaint, he was allegedly beaten up by Bhatt, who was then posted as the ACP. Bhatti alleged that after he was beaten, he lost one of his kidneys, which stopped functioning.
Bhatti then approached the court alleging atrocity in police custody. Even though the matter remained pending so far, based on Bhatti`s allegation, the court yesterday ordered to register a complaint and asked a Deputy SP level officer to probe the case. Bhatt, who created a flutter with his affidavits against chief minister Narendra Modi, has a few cases registered against him, which includes wrongful confinement and making a constable forcefully sign false affidavit.
Bhatt had been arrested following an FIR filed by constable K D Panth, who had alleged that Bhatt had "threatened and forced" him to sign a "false affidavit" to support the officer`s claim that he was present at the meeting at Modi`s residence on February 27, 2002. The IPS officer was later released on bail and the Supreme Court has stayed further proceedings in the case. Bhatt has also been accused of hacking an email account of Additional Advocate General Tushar Mehta and a complaint in this regard was being investigated by Ahmedabad police.